"Just heard the very sad news that Ernie passed away last night," Atkins reportedly added on Facebook page, as quoted by Classic Rock. "He was a lovely bloke and a great guitarist and will be sadly missed."

The two were part of the earliest Priest lineup, dating back to 1969. By 1970, Chataway had been replaced by K.K. Downing -- but not before making a huge impression on Atkins.

"I remember the first time we met at the auditions for a new guitarist for Judas Priest in 1969 – his looks reminded me of Marc Bolan," Atkins says. "When he plugged in his guitar he totally blew us away, and made K.K. Downing look a complete amateur."

Chataway was later a part of an early, pre-Robert Plant version of the Honeydrippers. Atkins was replaced by Rob Halford in 1973. Downing continued with Judas Priest until 2011.